And how can they preach unless they are sent?

As it is written,

“How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”

Romans 10:15

 

Well, I don’t know about beautiful feet, but once again we hit the ground running. And although our time here is limited, we are always amazed at how God orchestrates events whenever we are in Bulgaria to maximize our time.

The moment we arrived at the apartment, as we were getting out of the car to get our luggage, a friend came around the corner and couldn’t believe his eyes. He said that he was just getting ready to send us an invitation via Facebook to attend his concert Friday night and thought why would I send Keith and Cherie an invitation? They aren’t even in Bulgaria. And here you are!

(For those of you who have been to Bulgaria with us the concert was with Emo’s new band which is called “Alex and 4give.” You can check out his band at: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Alex-4GIVE/113463778686534)

With this invitation in hand, Friday was going to be jam-packed. We needed to rest, shop and prepare for the upcoming seminar all in one day and hope to ward off jet lag so that we could attend the concert. Bennie and Boyan, two of our staff members at the Truth and Hope Foundation, joined us for a fun filled evening.

Saturday was our all-day Teens in Crisis Seminar (see photos below on Post dated June 11, 2011) we held for youth leaders and parents to encourage them in how to minister to hurting teens. It was a small group of 10, but that is 10 more who are trained up to go out and minister to those who are in need. All who attended the seminar said it really encouraged them. In fact, one woman shared with me this morning just how blessed she was to attend because the seminar was so practical. On top of that, the seminar opened the door for an invitation to do a purity seminar next Sunday afternoon at Blagavest Church (Blagavest means Good News).

Keith and I always want to see as many people as possible while in Bulgaria to encourage them in their faith. So when we heard that another friend, Toni, was having a concert on Saturday night we were praying we wouldn’t be too tired to attend. (Toni is a famous pop singer in Bulgaria who many times leads our worship at our women’s retreats.) If you would like to hear her music check it out here:

 

 

The song is titled “How Long” (it’s in English) which is a song she wrote about waiting for God in a broken world. As you watch it you will see how the people, although some are misguided, change. Plus the t-shirt they are putting on is promoting a Bulgarian foundation (I Can Too) which helps children with disabilities.

Anyhow, we decided to go to her concert and surprise her. We were so glad we did! She didn’t know we were in Sofia. Yet, we were just as surprised to learn that it was her first concert in a year since she had been in the hospital for 9 months struggling with a physical illness.

Although she is famous, we were really blessed to hear her boldly share her faith on stage, as she would describe the meaning behind the songs she had written, many which describe her relationship with God.

Lastly, I thought it was interesting that the message the pastor shared this morning at church was from Romans chapter 10 which includes the verse:

 

“And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!’”

 

Once again, God was orchestrating events to encourage us in our walk with Him.

Thanks for being a part of our work. We cannot share His message without those of you who helped to send us! How beautiful are your feet!

Still enjoying His grand adventure, Keith & Cherie